FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[LochNescac]

I'm new to the conference, so take this information with a grain of salt!  According to everything I've seen on social media, these are the numbers- thus far- for the class of 2027 in the NESCAC I'm sure not all of the schools have finished their announcements, and I haven't seen any from Williams yet):

Bates adding 39 recruits.
Trinity adding 32.
Wesleyan adding 28.
Middlebury adding 26.
Amherst adding 24.
Hamilton adding 23.
Colby adding 22.
Tufts adding 15.
Bowdoin adding 13.
Williams hasn't announced any that I've seen yet.

Obviously these lists are fluid and will go up/down. They do give a pretty good indication of what roster sizes could look like next season.  By just subtracting listed Seniors from last season's rosters, and adding the incoming first year's,  the following numbers give us a starting point for roster size (this doesn't take into account any transfers or other subtractions, so it's just a rough estimate).

Trinity- 105
Wesleyan- 103
Middlebury- 100
Amherst- 96
Bates- 94
Colby- 90
Tufts- 89
Hamilton- 82
Bowdoin- 73
Williams- ?

Only looked at a few schools, but latest numbers according to the official Twitter accounts:

Amherst 25
Bates 39
Bowdin 22
Hamilton 27
Tufts 26
Wesleyan 28

Probably close to the final counts...getting late.

[Ephmen]

I wasn't quoting you in saying that it was a "great feat". Simply acknowledging that you saying his 9-0 year buys him some kind of reprieve is questionable at best. He did inherit a bad team, which is usually the case in a coaching change. And he did well in putting together a core group and riding them to a title. Him going 3-6 this year with a group that was entirely recruited by him, and that was part of that 9-0 culture, is just as telling as the Ephs perfect season in my opinion. Hence my point in saying that this year will really prove whether it was Raymond's coaching or Maimaron and co. talent that deserves the credit for their reemergence of the program.

But just to be clear the former QB is 5'7. Thanks Mole for a legit answer, as for Ephman I am not bitter I just think Raymond is overrated. To go 3-6 at Williams is almost more difficult than to go 9-0....

0-8 in his first year, with a team largely inherited from his predecessor, who had three consecutive 2-6 years before that.  So not that difficult, when there's a bad coach in charge.

If building up to a 9-0 season doesn't buy a coach a reprieve, not sure what does.  This is NESCAC, not the SEC.

Will this year be conclusive, either way?  I don't think so, though of course it will be another data point, just like the next few years will be.

His players mostly stay with the program, many get great jobs after graduation, one assistant has gone on to a head coaching job, he's liked in the community and he's loved by his players.  Clearly, 3-6 every year will eventually outweigh the rest.  But if he keeps doing roughly what he's done so far -- build up to a 9-0 season every 4 years -- he'll be around as long he wants.

[Ephmen]

Williams vs Union
Springfield/WNE vs Amherst/Trinity
Middlebury vs Norwich
Morrisville/Utica vs Hamilton
Wesleyan vs CGA/Salve Regina
Tufts vs MIT
Colby/Bates/Bowdoin vs UNE/Husson/ME Maritime

Not as close as RPI or Union, but I could see Williams matchups with F&M, where Blumenauer went, or Salve Regina, which is coached by a former Williams football player.

[Trin9-0]

When thinking about potential out-of-conference opponents for NESCAC schools there would likely be four key factors considered: academic standing, location, competitiveness, tradition (probably in that order). With that said, I think the following schools are the most likely options:

Coast Guard Academy
Cortland
Johns Hopkins
Maine Maritime*
Merchant Marine Academy
MIT
RPI
St. Lawrence
Union
WPI

Each of these schools has an acceptance rate under 60% and is within a comparable driving distance (with one exception). I threw in Johns Hopkins as a possible wildcard opponent specifically for Tufts. They're similarly sized schools, both are located in/near larger cities and it could fit with the Jumbos' national recruiting focus (Case Western, U Chicago, Carnegie Mellon could similarly fit this mold). It would also free up a Boston area school, like MIT, for the Maine teams to play.
You'll notice I didn't include Norwich. I understand the historical importance of that series, but it might be a tough sell for the academic-minded NESCAC presidents to include a school with an 87% acceptance rate and 56% graduation rate. Perhaps that's snobbish, but so is a self-imposed boycott of NCAA postseason play, so it's certainly not beneath the league. As for the other possible opponents previously mentioned in this thread, they have little or no traditional significance to NESCAC schools and based on their acceptance rates (listed below) they would be a stretch. I suppose Hobart and maybe Salve could be viable options:

67% Hobart
73% Salve Regina
77% Endicott
81% Western Connecticut
81% Western New England
86% Husson
89% Utica
90% University of New England
92% Plymouth State

I think the most likely scenario would involve a rotating series between two or three NESCAC opponents and two or three out-of-conference opponents (with Tufts being the exception). Something along the lines of:

    Amherst - WPI, RPI
    Williams - RPI, WPI

    Trinity - Coast Guard, Merchant Marine
    Wesleyan - Merchant Marine, Coast Guard

    Hamilton - Cortland, Union
    Middlebury - Union, Cortland

    Bates - St. Lawrence, Maine Maritime, MIT
    Bowdoin - MIT, St. Lawrence, Maine Maritime
    Colby - Maine Maritime, MIT, St. Lawrence

    Tufts - Johns Hopkins, Case Western, U Chicago, Carnegie Mellon

Regarding competitiveness; the RPI/WPI rotation with Williams and Amherst seems like a wash with one being very good and the other not so much (which is why a rotation makes sense). Trinity and Wesleyan would likely both thrash CGA and MMA annually. Middlebury, and much more so Hamilton, would have a challenge against Union and Cortland. Tufts would probably get the toughest draw of all if they were to take on the likes of Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, Case, etc. annually. The CBB vs. a Maine Maritime program returning to varsity football, and subpar St. Lawrence, and MIT programs seems more than fair. It is fun to think about but I won't hold my breath.

[Scoops]

I think there's something to be said about sustaining success. If you can only have a competitive team every 4 years, then I think that says something about a team's ability to recruit and develop talent. If I were a Williams alum, I'm not happy with a team that has to rely on a senior class, and then drops back into obscurity every 2 to 3 years. I think this year isn't conclusive, but it's very indicative of Raymond's ability to actually sustain success.

If building up to a 9-0 season doesn't buy a coach a reprieve, not sure what does.  This is NESCAC, not the SEC.

[GroundandPound]

Scoops,
Nice job with the early predictions.  It would be helpful to know which all- conference seniors will be returning to each respective team. I think Muldoon and Crider are back for another season at Mid.

[lumbercat]

When thinking about potential out-of-conference opponents for NESCAC schools there would likely be four key factors considered: academic standing, location, competitiveness, tradition (probably in that order). With that said, I think the following schools are the most likely options:

Coast Guard Academy
Cortland
Johns Hopkins
Maine Maritime*
Merchant Marine Academy
MIT
RPI
St. Lawrence
Union
WPI

Each of these schools has an acceptance rate under 60% and is within a comparable driving distance (with one exception). I threw in Johns Hopkins as a possible wildcard opponent specifically for Tufts. They're similarly sized schools, both are located in/near larger cities and it could fit with the Jumbos' national recruiting focus (Case Western, U Chicago, Carnegie Mellon could similarly fit this mold). It would also free up a Boston area school, like MIT, for the Maine teams to play.
You'll notice I didn't include Norwich. I understand the historical importance of that series, but it might be a tough sell for the academic-minded NESCAC presidents to include a school with an 87% acceptance rate and 56% graduation rate. Perhaps that's snobbish, but so is a self-imposed boycott of NCAA postseason play, so it's certainly not beneath the league. As for the other possible opponents previously mentioned in this thread, they have little or no traditional significance to NESCAC schools and based on their acceptance rates (listed below) they would be a stretch. I suppose Hobart and maybe Salve could be viable options:

67% Hobart
73% Salve Regina
77% Endicott
81% Western Connecticut
81% Western New England
86% Husson
89% Utica
90% University of New England
92% Plymouth State

I think the most likely scenario would involve a rotating series between two or three NESCAC opponents and two or three out-of-conference opponents (with Tufts being the exception). Something along the lines of:

    Amherst - WPI, RPI
    Williams - RPI, WPI

    Trinity - Coast Guard, Merchant Marine
    Wesleyan - Merchant Marine, Coast Guard

    Hamilton - Cortland, Union
    Middlebury - Union, Cortland

    Bates - St. Lawrence, Maine Maritime, MIT
    Bowdoin - MIT, St. Lawrence, Maine Maritime
    Colby - Maine Maritime, MIT, St. Lawrence

    Tufts - Johns Hopkins, Case Western, U Chicago, Carnegie Mellon

Regarding competitiveness; the RPI/WPI rotation with Williams and Amherst seems like a wash with one being very good and the other not so much (which is why a rotation makes sense). Trinity and Wesleyan would likely both thrash CGA and MMA annually. Middlebury, and much more so Hamilton, would have a challenge against Union and Cortland. Tufts would probably get the toughest draw of all if they were to take on the likes of Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, Case, etc. annually. The CBB vs. a Maine Maritime program returning to varsity football, and subpar St. Lawrence, and MIT programs seems more than fair. It is fun to think about but I won't hold my breath.

No way any of the AD's at Bowdoin, Colby, Bates or St Lawrence would book a game involving a 7+ hour bus trip. The trips from Maine to Hamilton in outer Siberia will not be duplicated.

[GroundandPound]

Pre-Season Rankings:

To improve our prognosticating abilities, could those who know share the following information:
Are any of the following all-conference seniors returning and, if so, who?
Trinity-
Thomas Walsh, Kyle Woodring, Noah Gantz, Brian Casagrande, Aidan Kennedy, Spencer Fetter (I think someone indicated he is returning), Devante Reid, Robert Mihaly, Christian Anzeveno, Cade Klarides-Ditria, and Hunter Tully? (Wow, that is a lot of all conference seniors)
Tufts-
Tyler Johnson, Travis, Cepalia, Blair Horning, (I think someone already indicated Lutz is not returning to Tufts)?
Wesleyan-
Danny Banks, Keith Henderson?
Colby-
Marc Dougherty, Lowell Carr?
Amherst-
Nick Diprinzio, Flyn McGilvray, Tim Swope?
Bowdoin-
Brandon Krupp, Drew Ortiz?
Williams-
Ian Devine, Joel Nicholas, Dan Vaughn?

I think this will be helpful for all who are trying to guestimate how next fall may play out.

[Scoops]

Can't confirm, but I've heard the following could be returning:
Trinity: Fetter, Casagrande, Woodring, Kennedy, Mihaly
Tufts: Cepalia
Colby: Dougherty and Carr
Amherst: Swope
Williams: Vaughn and Devine

Pre-Season Rankings:

To improve our prognosticating abilities, could those who know share the following information:
Are any of the following all-conference seniors returning and, if so, who?
Trinity-
Thomas Walsh, Kyle Woodring, Noah Gantz, Brian Casagrande, Aidan Kennedy, Spencer Fetter (I think someone indicated he is returning), Devante Reid, Robert Mihaly, Christian Anzeveno, Cade Klarides-Ditria, and Hunter Tully? (Wow, that is a lot of all conference seniors)
Tufts-
Tyler Johnson, Travis, Cepalia, Blair Horning, (I think someone already indicated Lutz is not returning to Tufts)?
Wesleyan-
Danny Banks, Keith Henderson?
Colby-
Marc Dougherty, Lowell Carr?
Amherst-
Nick Diprinzio, Flyn McGilvray, Tim Swope?
Bowdoin-
Brandon Krupp, Drew Ortiz?
Williams-
Ian Devine, Joel Nicholas, Dan Vaughn?

I think this will be helpful for all who are trying to guestimate how next fall may play out.

[SpringSt7]

Vaughn and Devine have both played 4 seasons already. So have a number of other guys on this list. If you want to narrow this list down, you can start by Google searching a few of them first.

[nescac1]

Regarding potential fifth year players of note, I posted about this on December.  Here is an updated version of that post ...

****

Logan Tomlinson, Nick Helbig, Joshua Meriwether, and Mo Diawara have all committed to D1 programs as grad students.  Phil Lutz was looking to move up as well, not sure what the story is there. 


Players reputed to be coming back for a fifth year:

Spencer Fetter, Trinity
John Freeman, Williams
Cade Klarides-Ditria, Trinity
Travis Cepalia, Tufts
Blair Horning, Tufts
Finn Muldoon, Middlebury
Darren Warren, Trinity
Joe Lepore, Trinity


Prominent players whose intentions are (I think) unreported, though maybe some folks here know:

Christian Anzeveno, Trinity
Hunter Tully, Trinity
Justin O'Neil-Riley, Trinity
Robert Mihaly, Trinity
Tyler Johnson, Tufts


Prominent players who I believe will not be returning despite being eligible for one more year:

Tony Hooks, Bates
Tim Swope, Amherst (he was commissioned as an Army Lieutenant so I would be surprised if he is indeed returning as someone was speculating)
Carsen Ochsenhirt, Amherst
Joel Nicholas, Williams
Keith Henderson, Wesleyan

[oxen1999]

I'd look for big improvement in both lines and they have a real nice RB transfer coming in that should make an impact.

10. Hamilton: I don't want to pile on this team, but they have so many holes. I've only met Coach Murray once, but he seemed like a decent person. I hope he can do something (anything) to improve upon such an abysmal year, but I'm not sure if that's in the cards.

While last season was nothing to be proud of, this team has some serious talent returning that will improve upon last seasons performance. Besides losing all-conference left tackle, they return their entire offense filled with young talent, a 5th year QB, and the best tight end in the league. Don't be surprised to see Hamilton make a leap this year.

[Ephmen]

I think there's something to be said about sustaining success. If you can only have a competitive team every 4 years, then I think that says something about a team's ability to recruit and develop talent. If I were a Williams alum, I'm not happy with a team that has to rely on a senior class, and then drops back into obscurity every 2 to 3 years. I think this year isn't conclusive, but it's very indicative of Raymond's ability to actually sustain success.

If building up to a 9-0 season doesn't buy a coach a reprieve, not sure what does.  This is NESCAC, not the SEC.

I agree re sustaining success, and I'd agree with your scenario -- but I don't think it describes Raymond's tenure.  I think he went 0-9, 6-3, 7-2, 9-0?  Replace the 0-9 with last year's 3-6 and I'm fine with that cycle -- especially if it includes wins over Amherst most years.

[lumbercat]

Can't confirm, but I've heard the following could be returning:
Trinity: Fetter, Casagrande, Woodring, Kennedy, Mihaly
Tufts: Cepalia
Colby: Dougherty and Carr
Amherst: Swope
Williams: Vaughn and Devine

Pre-Season Rankings:

To improve our prognosticating abilities, could those who know share the following information:
Are any of the following all-conference seniors returning and, if so, who?
Trinity-
Thomas Walsh, Kyle Woodring, Noah Gantz, Brian Casagrande, Aidan Kennedy, Spencer Fetter (I think someone indicated he is returning), Devante Reid, Robert Mihaly, Christian Anzeveno, Cade Klarides-Ditria, and Hunter Tully? (Wow, that is a lot of all conference seniors)
Tufts-
Tyler Johnson, Travis, Cepalia, Blair Horning, (I think someone already indicated Lutz is not returning to Tufts)?
Wesleyan-
Danny Banks, Keith Henderson?
Colby-
Marc Dougherty, Lowell Carr?
Amherst-
Nick Diprinzio, Flyn McGilvray, Tim Swope?
Bowdoin-
Brandon Krupp, Drew Ortiz?
Williams-
Ian Devine, Joel Nicholas, Dan Vaughn?

I think this will be helpful for all who are trying to guestimate how next fall may play out.

Believe Bowdoin guys listed above both used their 5th year last year.

Also heard Dougherty at Colby was moving on but maybe he's considering sticking around to play with his kid brother. Colby is unbelievably strong at LB with great depth. Dougherty was a fine LB but not among the fastest LBs on that roster.
Think Carr is moving on as well.

[BigKat]

Williams , Tufts and Colby are missing significant contributors in all three phases that are returning for their last season. Check rosters-fairly easy to identify.